Rainy weekend so far!

Well, the weekend has started out with a downpour… not so fun.  I was looking forward to spending time outside this long weekend! (I actually have a 4- day weekend…. I have Monday off for Memorial Day and I don’t work Tuesdays!)

Yesterday I worked all day to make up for being off on Monday.  Also to help Mo with the puppet show/music program that our class put on for their parents.

Speaking of our class… this just makes me so sad.  One of our students in our class is noticeably "underprivileged".   On Wednesday, when it hit 90* (the day we played in the pool at Heather’s!), she wore a mock neck SWEATER and jeans that she’d been wearing weeks on end.  Jeans that were dirty and stained and gross. 

Our room mom brought in a bag of clothes for her… a few pair of shorts and tanks… because she obviously didn’t have any summer clothes.  On Thursday I took her out in the hall to give her the clothes.  I just told her someone in class had bought too many of them and didn’t need them so they wanted to give them to her.  She just said "ok" and put them in her locker.

I kept her out in the hall to chat with her, to try to see a little more into her world.  She had said to me "I don’t have many summer clothes" she said all their clothes were dirty and they haven’t gone to the laundry mat because the don’t have any quarters… they have dollars but not quarters (hmm).  So I told her that a few years ago we used to not have a washer in our house and it was so hard to do laundry and I understood how it feels to not be able to wash your clothes at home.  I asked if she had any shorts and she said (this makes me so sad) "Yeah, they’re my brother’s from last year"  Her brother is in third grade.  This little girl is in first.  I said to her "Well, I really like to shop, so maybe I’ll pick up an outfit for you"  and this little girls eyes LIT UP.  When I told Mo, both our eyes filled up with tears thinking about her. 

A little more about their family… her mom isn’t around… I think she took a couple of the siblings and just took off.  Its just her, her brother and dad and maybe another sibling or two.  Her dad doesn’t work, she told me that the other day.  He hurt his back she said.  She misses many days of school because her dad sleeps in or he takes them to the laundry mat or what not.  Mo said that one day she noticed her wearing her BROTHER’S underwear!  I just don’t think the dad has a clue how to raise little girl.

So, on Thursday I went to Kohl’s (mainly to get some shoes to wear at Disney) but I checked out their clearance racks. I picked up three cute, girly, trendy fitted t-shirts for her that were $3 each and then I went to Target. At Target I got her a cute skort and two striped tank tops to match and then at Walmart I got her a pair of pink polka dot flip flops to wear with her outfits.  I wasn’t able to give them to her on Friday (there wasn’t time to get her alone without the class noticing), but I can’t wait until next week to give her these clothes.  The other kids in class are saying things, asking why she wears the same pants all the time and why her clothes are always dirty.  I wish I had thought about this earlier in the year as I was thinking I should have her bring a few outfits to school and I can take them home and wash them for her.   I mean, I still could, but it would have been nice to do that throughout the year so she didn’t get the label of the "dirty kid" kwim?  My heart just breaks for her.  She is just such a sweet kid. 

Well, thats my novel for the day.  Don’t be surprised if I come back later with another post as its rainy and we’ll be stuck inside all day.